Monday, 4 April 2016

It Was a Long Time Ago

On the fourthof April 1964, long before my readers were born, the world's greatest rock group found they had not only records (ask your parents kids) taking the top five places in the US 'Billboard Top 100' but they had twelve records there in the singles chart.

I'm sure we all agree this was 'pop music' at its best. Not just 'pop' but poetic insight revealing the heart of the adolescent teenage trauma.

"I Saw Her Standing There""You Can't Do That""All My Loving""Roll Over Beethoven""From Me To You""Do You Want To Know A Secret""Thank You Girl"

The musical influences on the Beatles as they grew up were often American. From the ships docking in Liverpool many men brought home records bought in New York and other ports, often black music ignored by the white dominated radio and television of the time. These records featuring John Lee Hooker, B.B. King and Howling Wolf soon left their mark on the youth in Liverpool who found such discs falling into their hands. The young musicians of the time slowly developed their own style and once under the guidance of Brian Epstein the clean, friendly, humorous and talented act that was the Beatles emerged to change the world.

Their influence was total and not just in music. The changing world of the sixties enabled them to indulge their musical experiments while the death of Epstein left them somewhat alone in the recording world but also able to develop new lines in music. It is interesting to note how different were their individual musical influences, the variety of opinions amongst them and how in the end a break up was inevitable. George has long since died, John was shot amazingly 35 years ago! Yet his influence, not always an intelligent influence, continues today. Paul the girlies favourite managed to remain alive even though many feel the wrong Beatle got shot and Ringo continues his 'Peace and Love' lifestyle in Los Angeles, far from the two up two down wee house he grew up in.

8 comments:

April of 1964, that was my birthday month, I turned seven.I well remember all those hit songs. I am always asking Richard which year that one of their songs was a hit in England and when it was a hit in the USA, he knows, of course, as does my son. I actually feel a slight pity for anyone who did not grow up in the 1960's. The music alone was worth it.And the Beatles! My goodness, a little more respect, Ad-man! John, Paul, George, Ringo...I love them!

Once again I have fallen behind on reading the post that I find fun and entertaining therefore, I had to spend several moments reading your delightful post. Your descriptions are so much different than those in the South of the US I sometimes repeat them aloud to see just how they roll off the tongue. As for the Beatles I remember them very very well and was smitten like every other teenage girl in America. My two girlfriends and I claimed one of the unmarried Beatles as our own. I got Ringo and we would sing and play and dream about life with them. We went to all the movies of them and even a small snip about them was cut from the printed page. Then eighth grade was over and high school began so girly dreams were set to fly away because for some reason we all became aware of the real live boys walking the high school halls. Thanks for giving me a fantastic trip down memory lane. Peace

I turned 20 years of age in November, 1964. My then boyfriend, Randall - (who in 1965 became my fiancee...and later still in 1976 husband, and later still in 1986, ex-husband...of whom I've written often in my own blog) - was in 1964 a radio announcer/disc jockey. The Beatles sure hit with a bang.

Randall was always a bigger fan of The Beatles than I was. I'm not saying I didn't/don't like them. We had every LP (and some on reel-to-reel, eight-track tape) they released in our collection of music.

On 10th November, 1975 (the day before my birthday on 11th November) we did see McCartney's "Wings Over the World" tour when Wings performed in Brisbane, Queensland. It was a great concert. Denny Laine ex "Moody Blues" (I love the "Moody Blues)was part of Wings then...on vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards, percussion etc., and Linda McCartney was on keyboards, backing vocals.

It was a concert worth seeing. Our ears kept ringing for a couple of hours after it....the mass of speakers on stage were massive in size!